Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “I am going.”

  Han Zhan’s reply left Li Li stunned.

  “You are going?” This was too shocking that Li Li’s voice turned up a notch.

  Han Zhan repeated, “I am going.”

  Li Li couldn’t understand Han Zhan at all.

  “Mr. Han,” Li Li tried to probe. “Don’t tell me you are interested in Ms. Song?”

  Han Zhan replied very self-righteously, “She is my pilot. She is someone whom I must depend on for my life. Since she invited me, I must attend.”

  “Is that so?” Li Li remained dubious. He looked at Han Zhan with eyes full of doubt.

  Could feelings for Song Ci blossom in that old, unfeeling heart?

  Han Zhan didn’t say anything further.

  Li Li saw that Han Zhan had resumed his usual mild manner, and suspected that he might have been thinking too much. ……

  Song Ci’s birthday was on the 10th of August. The Mu Family residence was not big enough to hold a party, and so she held her charity banquet at the Eminent Dragon Hotel.

  In every man’s heart, top debutante Song Ci was a rose in full bloom, beautiful and bewitching. Every single guy she invited turned up.

  Besides, Song Ci was a very sociable and well-liked person among the ladies. She had many female friends and all those wealthy socialites were also all excited to attend her party.

  During the banquet, that night, glittery outfits and stunning profiles filled the place. Nearly all the highly eligible young men and women in Wangdong City gathered at Song Ci’s party.

  The Mu Family had two daughters. Adopted daughter Song Ci was breathtakingly gorgeous, while the biological daughter Mu Qiu was pristine and pure. The two sisters were very close and in their previous birthday parties, one was never far away from the other.

  Song Ci was present since she was the main star of tonight’s banquet. But everyone was puzzled at Mu Qiu’s absence.

  One of the party-goers didn’t know the situation and asked, “Where is Mu Qiu?”

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  “Mu Qiu is sick, and she is recuperating at the hospital. Song Ci organized this charity banquet to accumulate some good karma for her.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Standing in a corner, Li Li overheard conversations from some of the guests nearby. Li Li told Han Zhan, “Mu Mian adopted Ms. Song Ci eight years ago. I heard that he brought her back after that earthquake in Bijiang City. Her parents both perished in the disaster.”

  “Meanwhile, Mu Qiu is the Mu Family’s biological daughter. She is two years younger than Ms. Song.”

  Han Zhan knew that the Mu Family adopted Song Ci, but didn’t know she had suffered from that earthquake. He appeared somewhat bewildered.

  Thinking of something, Li Li told Han Zhan, “Oh yes, Mr. Han was still in the military then, right? I remember you were serving in the southwest. Did you take part in the rescue mission at Bijiang City?”

  Han Zhan was deep in thought and didn’t seem to hear Li Li’s question.

  Li Li was about to turn to get some drinks when he suddenly heard Han Zhan reply in a low voice, “Yes.”

  “So you did go.” Even though it had been eight years since the earthquake, Li Li couldn’t help but shudder as he recalled the disaster images he saw on television.

  Li Li glanced at Han Zhan. “The disaster looked terrible on television, things must have been even worse at the scene.”

  Han Zhan gazed down at his right hand and gave a soft grunt.

  “Mmm. All you could see were debris. What you see on television versus what you see in real-life—the feeling is very different.” It was the most devastating scene that Han Zhan had ever witnessed in his life.

  An entire bustling city was destroyed within seconds. The remains of concrete buildings were strewn everywhere. Chances were, one could be standing over several buried bodies any single place they’d step on.

  Once witnessed, one could never forget that horrible image.

  All these years, Han Zhan would still dream of that earthquake. His heart would continue to race for quite a time even after waking up.

  Li Li was still in school at that time. “I donated quite a bit of money then. I even cried a few times when I saw the news.”

  At the scene of the disaster, seeing so many dead bodies made them numb to everything. They couldn’t even cry anymore. Han Zhan said in a solemn voice, “It is good that you still managed to cry.”

  At this moment, Li Li noticed something and suddenly touched Han Zhan’s arm. “Ms. Song has arrived.”

  Han Zhan snapped out of his trance and glanced at the main doors. He saw a vibrant red color.

  Song Ci had dyed her hair the color of red wine and it accentuated the smooth fairness of her face. Her long hair draped around her shoulders and her voluptuous figure was clad in a deep red corset dress. A translucent gauze with white polka dots surrounded the bottom half of her dress, making her look very ethereal.

  Song Ci had a slender waist and long, slim legs. But her chest was very ample. She looked extremely sensuous and alluring.

  She was truly the top debutante.

  Song Ci attended etiquette classes before. So while dressed in that lovely gown, she still moved with elegant grace.

  She had on eight cm high heels and was taller than most of the girls by several centimeters. There were countless eligible elite bachelors, but Song Ci didn’t pay them any attention.

  She wove through the crowd and stopped in front of Han Zhan and gave him a brilliant smile.

  Her smile could disperse rain clouds and bring out all the stars sparkling in the sky.

  In the blink of an eye, it was like one could touch the Milky Way.

  A weird notion crossed Han Zhan’s mind when he saw her smile.

  He wanted to gather all the stars and put them in a glass bottle, and then place the bottle in his pocket so he could have it by his side all the time. No one else would be allowed to take a peek.

  A female waiter bearing drinks came by. Song Ci took a glass of red wine and offered it to Han Zhan’s left hand. She said softly, “Mr. Han, welcome.”

  Han Zhan glanced down at the wine, a profound look in his eyes.

  Li Li noticed Song Ci’s expression and was suddenly on the alert.

  Most people would instinctively offer a drink to someone’s right side. Song Ci and Han Zhan had never had a meal together before, so she definitely wouldn’t know that Han Zhan was left-handed.

  But Song Ci offered the wine to Han Zhan’s left side, and it was clear that she knew he always used his left hand.

  How could she have known?

  Han Zhan concealed his thoughts and accepted the wine with his left hand. He raised it and gave Song Ci a toast. “The stars are shining brighter in the sky because of you. Ms. Song, Happy Birthday.”

  Song Ci replied, “Thank you.”

  She lifted the sides of her dress and turned elegantly. She disappeared into the crowd of well-dressed figures.

  Ten minutes later, the party officially started. Song Ci walked onto the stage with a violin.

  Song Ci’s violin-playing was very moving. Her skills were better than Han Zhan as expected. Even someone like him, who had no talent for musical appreciation, was mesmerized by Song Ci’s performance.

  Song Ci performed the theme song from the German movie Schindler’s List. Since Han Zhan had watched that movie, he felt somewhat poignant on hearing this song.

  This kind of song was not suitable for a birthday party.

  There were tears welling in Song Ci’s eyes. At first, she managed to control her emotions, but after finishing her performance, a single tear splashed onto her violin as she raised her bow.

  But the lights were too bright that no one noticed.

  Amidst the thunderous applause, Li Li said to Han Zhan, “It’s a pity Ms. Song isn’t a celebrity.”

  Han Zhan gazed up at Song Ci, who was now shining even brighter than the stars on stage. He murmured, “It would be a true pity if she became a celebrity instead.”